Managing for a Healthy Range

The UFO manages 240 grazing allotments with 165 grazing permittees. We have been working on Land Health Assessments (LHA) each year since 1999 to determine whether or not a given area is meeting our Land Health Standards.

FY06 LHA area accomplishments

• Updated the US Fish & Wildlife Service on status of the Gunnison Sage Grouse and its habitat in the UFO.
• Completed the Norwood LHA, and renewed 29 grazing permits.
• Completed the Roubideau LHA and offered renewal of 16 grazing permits.
• Began the North Fork LHA in mid-April by conducting field work/data collection. The North Fork area has 35 grazing permits associated with it. The area inventoried runs from Cedaredge and Somerset on the south side of Grand Mesa, south to the town of Crawford and east to the Gunnison National Forest.

Noxious Weed and Non-Native Invasive Plant Eradication

• Established two test plots to evaluate effective methods for controlling cheat grass.
• Tamarisk control is underway in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, with over half of the sites treated.
• Work closely with the Delta, Ouray, San Miguel, and Montrose County Weed boards and contract for most herbicide efforts.
• Working with Montrose County to control Purple Loosestrife in a 50-acre area just above the San Miguel River drainage east of Nucla.
• Partnering with the USFS, The Nature Conservancy, and Montrose County to eradicate noxious weeds on public and private lands in and around the old town site of Uravan. The five-year grant contains a cost share provision for private landowners. The effort targets Purple Loosestrife, Spotted Knapweed, Tamarisk, and Hoary Cress.

Horsefly Coordinated Weed Management Area Plan - The BLM is involved in a cooperative effort between public land managers and private land owners to employ Integrated Weed Management techniques in an area around the Horsefly Creek drainage known as the Horsefly Coordinated Weed Management Area (WMA). These entities have collaboratively identified goals, objectives and priorities for weed treatments in the Horsefly WMA. The plan was initiated in 2006 and addresses 148,303 acres located on the southwestern part of the Uncompahgre Plateau within Montrose County. Of that area, approximately 27,500 acres are privately owned, 70% of the WMA is within the Uncompahgre National Forest, while the BLM manages the remainder.

Barbara Sharrow, Field Office Manager

2465 S. Townsend Ave, Montrose, CO  81401
Phone: (970) 240-5300  |  TDD (970) 240-5366  |  FAX (970) 240-5367
Office hours are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Click on address above for map showing Uncompahgre Field Office location.